Saturday Songs and Quarantunes

Radio stations have been playing more upbeat, hopeful and nostalgic songs since the country went into lock down. During troubling times, most people want to feel better when they listen to music. 

Music related news stories:

• Boston Pops paid tribute to health care workers and first responders.
• Butch Walker confronted nation divided with album-film American Love Story.  
• Countable provides daily updates for Couchella 2020 virtual concerts.  
• Dave Grohl wrote a column for The Atlantic: The Day the Live Concert Returns. 
• DJ Steve Aoki hosted Sweetest Prom Ever with Chips Ahoy cookies and Sour Patch Kids candies. 
• CT DJs organized 9 hour virtual dance marathon.
• EDC Las Vegas hosted Rave-A-Thon virtual electronic dance music party.
• Jason Isbell discussed how the pandemic is impacting the music industry.
• Luke Combs sang his new song, Six Feet Apart.
• NC Brass Band musicians played Birdland from home.
• NC venue managers formed NC Live coalition to plan for large events.
• #QuarantinePlaylist, #Quarantunes, and #SongsThatDescribe2020 offer a variety of song suggestions. 
• Roy Zimmerman and The ReZisters: Vote Him Out (the Liar Tweets Tonight). 
• Tina Turner impersonator went viral after dancing in the street.

Without that audience—that screaming, sweating audience—

my songs would only be sound.

But together, we are instruments in a sonic cathedral,

one that we build together night after night.

And one that we will surely build again.

– Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

#RuinABandNameByChangingOneLetter

Backstreet Bogs

Bang Crosby

Bream

Couldplay

Crowded Horse

Dan Halen

David Bogie

Gladys Knight & the Pups

Metadeath

Nob Dylan

O M G

Poo Fighters

Poxy Music

Sea Pistols

Sham!

Shania Train

Supertrump

The Beagles

The Belch Boys

The Boobie Brothers

The Boors

The Dangles

The Donkees

The Four Mops

The Jesus and Gary Chain

The Millers

The Shits

The Why

Tink Floyd

Wank Chung

Whim

Daily pandemic update:  

Chinese authorities registered zero new infections of coronavirus for the first time since they began reporting data in January.  UN agencies warn that 80 million infants could be at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, measles and polio due to disruption of routine immunisation caused by the pandemic.  Aljazeera.com timeline

23 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
19:20 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	5,221,571	5,373,876	335,203	342,717	2,098,615	2,225,949
US	1,621,669	1,657,807	96,377	98,337	382,244	439,083
NY	366,357	369,580	28,885	29,090	63,131	63,360
CT	39,208	39,640	3,582	3,637	6,264	6,264
NC	21,220	22,864	745	778	11,637	11,637

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

As of today, 18% of closed cases in the US resulted in death; 82% recovered.

Globally 13% of closed cases resulted in death worldwide; 87% recovered.

Currently 2% of all active cases are considered serious or critical.

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news: 

• 2.4 million more American workers filed for unemployment benefits last week; 38.6 million total within the past 9 weeks. The Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report indicated 20 million jobs were lost in April while the unemployment rate rose to 14.7%, the highest level since tracking began in 1948. NC unemployment rate nearly tripled from 4.3% in March to 12.2% in April.  
• Biden apologized for racially insensitive gaffe. Doug Wigdor is no longer Tara Reade’s attorney.
• COPCOV study involving more than 40,000 healthcare workers across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America seeks to determine whether chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine could help in the fight against novel coronavirus; findings to be determined. 
• Fauci supports cautious reopening with significant precautions. His advice: "Go out, wear a mask, stay 6 feet away from anyone so you have the physical distancing… Go for a run. Go for a walk. Go fishing. As long as you're not in a crowd and you're not in a situation where you can physically transmit the virus.”
• Federal judge dismissed defamation lawsuit filed by One America News against Rachel Maddow, finding she did not defame OAN when she said it was Russian propaganda. 
• If more people wore masks, lock down measures could be lifted sooner.
• Ineffective mask cleaning machines wasted millions of dollars and put health workers lives at risk.
• Moderna execs sold stock shares via automated 10b51 plans; not illegal.
• Trump is golfing today. His annual physical exam has not yet been completed. Earlier in the week he said he tested positively toward negative. 
• White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany accidentally revealed Trump’s personal bank information while displaying donation check.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• 100 year old WWII veteran recovered from coronavirus after 58 day hospital stay. 
• 7 year old NH girl raised thousands for front line workers by playing ukulele.
• MT music therapist plays songs outside windows to cheer up assisted living residents.

In my personal life…

I love 80s music, fun pop tunes sure, but mostly British new wave rooted in 1970’s punk. There are way too many favorite songs to list though the list includes Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode, Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, Ordinary World by Duran Duran, Rambozo the Clown by the Dead Kennedys from their Bedtime for Democracy album, Space Age Love Song by Flock of Seagulls, and Istanbul (not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants. Also appreciate some later music like Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day, My Way by Butch Walker, Hate Me by Blue October and Bad Guy by Billie Eilish.

  

  

Like movies, songs help me process my feelings. Relaxing in the hammock listening to 80s tunes on Pandora is my good weather happy place. Sometimes I want to hear a sad song to help me cry or an angry song to vent frustrations. Africa by Toto hits me in all my feels because it reminds me of a trip to Morocco, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa I planned to take with Reid which is now postponed indefinitely.

Yesterday Greg and I grazed and snacked to avoid cooking. Greg went out to run a few errands and brought back Wendy’s hamburgers for lunch, plus a chocolate frosty for me and a vanilla frosty he shared with Minerva. He also came home with Krispy Kreme donuts.